The Pentagon reports that on Friday, the last remaining M55 rocket containing the neurotoxic sarin was destroyed by the Chemical Weapons Convention, which was ratified in 1997. The United States has maintained a stockpile of mustard gas and other nerve or nerve poisons for decades. Vice President Joe Biden has demanded that Russia and Syria uphold the Convention.
It signed the Convention in 1997, making it the last country to do so while still maintaining possession of these controversial weapons. The United States marked a major turning point on a global scale on Friday, July 7, when it announced it had completed the destruction of its last chemical weapons. This announcement hinted that no such weapons, which are officially recognized as being lethal, are still held in state arsenals.
In response to the White House’s announcement, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said that all declared stocks had been “irreversibly destroyed.” North Korea and Egypt are just two examples of countries that have yet to sign the Convention that was created to deal with this issue.
The United States has made a determined effort over more than three decades to eliminate its chemical weapons supply. In a statement, Vice President Joe Biden remarked, “Today I am proud to announce that the United States has safely destroyed the last munition of this reserve.”
Director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Fernando Arias said in a statement that “putting an end to the destruction of all declared stockpiles of chemical weapons is an important step.”
The other signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997 have already dropped their reservations, as stated by Fernando Arias in May.
He added that the United States alone should finish destroying their supply and went on to say that more than “70,000 tonnes of the most dangerous poisons in the world” have been eliminated under the supervision of his organization.
Unfathomable pain resulted from the First World War.
The final M55 rocket of its sort to be equipped with the nerve toxin sarin was reportedly destroyed on Friday at the “Blue Grass” depot of the United States Army in Kentucky, which is located in the central-eastern United States, per a separate news release published by the Pentagon.
The United States has kept reserves of mustard gas and other nerve agents like sarin and VX in their artillery and rocket munitions for decades.
After the world learned of the horrific consequences of using such weapons in the trenches during World War I, their use was universally condemned.
Nonetheless, in the years that followed, several countries maintained and even expanded their chemical weapons projects.
The United States missed the September 30 deadline set by the 1997 Convention for the destruction of all of its weapons and chemical agents.
The names Russia and Syria came up several times.
On Friday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the “Blue Grass” depot had successfully eliminated 500 metric tonnes of potentially deadly chemical agents, a target that had been in the works for four years. This report was released before Joe Biden’s announcement later that day.
Senator said in a statement, “Chemical weapons are responsible for some of the most horrific episodes in terms of human casualties.” The senator remarked, “While the use of these lethal weapons will forever be an indelible mark on history, our nation has finally delivered on its promise to rid ourselves of this scourge.” After much effort, “our nation has finally delivered on its promise to rid ourselves of this scourge.”
Vice President Joe Biden made a statement urging the few countries who have not yet joined the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997 to do so to ensure that “the global ban on chemical weapons reaches its full potential.”
The president of the United States also issued the statement, “Russia and Syria must again comply with the Convention and recognize their undeclared programs, which have been used to commit atrocities and brazen attacks.”
The OPCW’s head has also warned that “more challenges await us.”
According to Fernando Arias, who was quoted in a press release published by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Friday, “four countries have yet to join the Convention.” Angola, North Korea, Egypt, and South Sudan are these nations.
In addition, he said, “used and abandoned chemical weapons still need to be recovered and destroyed.”